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The New Patriotic Party (NPP), the strongest opposition party in Ghana has challenged the recent Presidential election results, claiming electoral fraud. Refusing to accept the results declared by the electoral commission, the NPP has decided to take the matter to the courts.

The largest opposition party in Ghana, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has challenged the results of the 2012 Presidential election, accusing the Electoral Commission of Ghana of colluding with the incumbent, National Democratic Congress (NDC) to steal votes.

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, has denied the allegations saying the the NPP can challenge the results in Ghana’s courts according to the electoral laws of the country.

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, declared President Mahama winner by 50.70% of the votes, beating his main challenger Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP who polled 47.7% of the votes.

NPP's projection on their Facebook page showed that they have won the elections according to the results they received from their polling agents. Ghana Decides reports:

The NPP maintains that results on the “blue sheet”, which they received at polling stations and collation centres across the country, where slightly change to favour Candidate Mahama of the NDC.

Party gurus of the NPP have been holding a crunch meeting over the matter whether to consider a court action.

Ghana Decides reports:

Following this, the NPP has resolved to take the issue to court and has vowed to use all available legal means to seek justice. Meanwhile, numerous supporters of the NPP have poured onto the streets of Circle, ostensibly to listen to party leaders who are assembling near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to address the teeming crowd.

Many observer and monitoring missions, including the African Union and CODEO have endorsed the results of the Electoral Commission and have called for calm.

These are some of the views of Ghanaians on Twitter:

@nosivid: Nana Addo goes round repeating bogus allegations of electoral fraud with the claim of having evidence and calls it EXPLANATION #GhanaDecides

Lawyers representing NPP formally filed a petition at the Supreme Court on 28 December, 2012. The NPP only has 21 days to protest against the election results by law or else the incumbent will still be sworn in on 7 January, 2013.